photo: Juan Yepez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s game (Thursday, March 31) that they have re-assigned right-handed pitcher Jacob Bosiokovic to the minors and optioned catcher Ali Sánchez and first baseman Juan Yepez to the Memphis (AAA) roster.
Today’s moves reduce the Cardinals Spring Training camp roster to 37 players.
Brian Walton’s take
As the conclusion of camp nears, the Cardinals are cutting players from camp daily. They still have 31 40-man roster players plus six non-roster invitees remaining with St. Louis.
It is exceptional news that Yepez is ok after he was hit in the face by a pitch on Wednesday. The 2021 Player of the Year in the Cardinals minor league system with a legitimate chance to make the team as a designated hitter. However, the recent signings of veterans Corey Dickerson and especially Albert Pujols this week closed off the roster for Yepez at this time.
This spring, Yepez slashed .250/.423/.350/.773 with two RBI, five walks and four strikeouts. He was only one of two Cardinals to have played in all 10 games to date this spring, along with Brendan Donovan.
Sanchez is a solid backstop and decent hitter but his only real chance for further time with St. Louis ahead would be if Yadier Molina or Andrew Knizner were injured. And even that is not assured, as top prospect catcher Ivan Herrera also joined the 40-man roster this past off-season and will soon be ready for the majors, too.
Unlike Sanchez, Bosiokovic was in clear contention for a spot at the back end of the bullpen. However, not possessing a 40-man roster spot slightly increased the size of his challenge this spring.
This spring, Bosiokovic did not dominate, yielding four runs, all earned, in 2 2/3 innings for a 13.50 ERA. To read more about the reliever, check out this article from TCN’s Blake Newberry.
For more
To see all players remaining in Cardinals camp by position, check out the always-free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation.
St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix – 2022 Spring Training
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